How to Give Instructions a Child With ADHD Can Follow

How to Give Instructions a Child With ADHD Can Follow ADHD Living With ADD/ADHD Print How to Give Instructions That a Child With ADHD Can Follow Tips for better behavior By Keath Low Keath Low, MA, is a therapist and clinical scientist with the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities at the University of North Carolina. She specializes in treatment of ADD/ADHD. Learn about our editorial policy Keath Low Updated on May 14, 2018 ADHD Overview Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Living With In Children Tetra Images/Getty Images Kids with ADHD respond best to directions that are direct, simple, and clear. This helps to ensure success in following your instructions â€" and success leads to a whole raft of positive outcomes. Why Chatty Instructions Dont Work for ADHD Kids Mom is washing dishes in the sink. The water is running and dishes are clinking. Her back is turned as she calls out, “Joe, finish eating your breakfast, and then brush your teeth and grab your backpack. You don’t want to be late. Oh, and don’t forget to grab your project. It’s due today and you worked so hard on it. Hold it carefully in your lap when you are on the school bus. You don’t want anything to happen to it.” To a child with ADHD, the directions probably sounded more like this: “Joe, finish eating your breakfast...something about the bus...blah, blah, blah.” Then Joe becomes distracted by the sound of the water running in the sink, and it makes him think of swimming, and that makes him think of summertime. He looks forward to swimming and playing Marco Polo at the pool with his brother and friends. He hopes Randall isn’t at the pool a lot this summer  because Randall is so bossy. That girl in science class is kind of bossy, too. Joe becomes consumed by his own shifting thoughts and isn’t even aware of mom’s talking. Your child’s distractions and tuning out are not purposeful, though to a parent it can be quite exasperating. With long, drawn-out directions, an ADHD child quickly finds himself in information overload. The important points you are trying to make become difficult to process, especially as he is distracted by his own thoughts or things going on around him. Rather than being able to successfully follow your directions, he misses them altogether. This sets both of you up for frustration, and it sets your child up for failure rather than success. How to Give Clear Directions Your Kid Can Follow Successfully Here are some simple tips for increasing your childs compliance when you give him a direction. You also may want to share these tips with your child’s teacher at school. When giving directions, move closer to your child and get his attention by touching his shoulder or arm and saying his name.Make sure you have eye contact with your child as you give the direction.Give simple, actionable instructions. For example, say “Put your homework folder in your book bag,” rather than Get ready for school.Speak clearly in a firm voice.If you need to provide explanation  say it before giving the direction. For example, We have to go to Grandmas right after school today so we arent late for her dinner. If you want to play with toys at Grandmas, pick some out and give them to me now. If you wait and say it after giving your child the direction, he may forget your original command.After giving the direction, wait a few seconds and stay by your child to make sure he maintains his attention on the task. If he complies and properly follows through with your direction, praise him immediately for a job well done. If youre not sure he fully understood the instruction s, ask him to repeat them in his own words.If your child does not comply, give him an IF…THEN statement that specifies your expectations and the consequences for not complying. For example, “If you don’t put the folder in your backpack right now, then you will lose 10 minutes off your computer time.”  If your child complies, give him praise. If he does not comply, follow through with the loss of something, like computer time privilege.Be consistent and calm in your approach, and connect with other adults in your childs life to be sure you are all giving the same messages in the same way.